Poets of the Underworld
by Marnal
Summary: Part 2 in a series of 7. The 9th Doctor and Rose visit the cityworld of Naath, and discover something strange is happening deep in the underground...
1. Chapter 1

Alexander-257 Tec-64-Beta lives on level 489 neg of the scientific mega-complex. The complex stretches for nearly two kilometres upwards into the clear skies of the planet Naath. It reaches even further into the ground, rooted deep like a giant tooth. Level 489 neg is a kilometre and a half underground. Rumours circulate amongst the Tecs that the Engs live as deep as level 1000 neg, where the filtration pumps work day and night to scrub the air clean of the poisonous gases that seep through from the planet's core.

Alexander-257 met an Eng once. She came in to fix the plasma-spectrometer that he was working with. Tecs and Engs do not normally mix, but the job was in danger of falling into debt-time, so the Sup had authorised an emergency fix. Alexander-257 needed to be there while she was working in order to calibrate the lens, so he stayed on past shift-end when all the other Tecs had gone home for the night. When she was done, she asked him to thumb-print her info-screen. He looked at the screen and saw the job number, the fix-time and her name. She was called Emily-348 Eng-64-Beta. He smiled as he pressed his thumb against the screen to validate her job.

"We have the same secondary and tertiary sur-designations." he said to her.

She smiled back at him as she took the info-screen.

"It's a small mega-complex."

Her smile was wide and warm, and she had green eyes. She winked at him as she left. He remembered thinking that she was taking a chance, acting so informally with someone of a higher designation. He hasn't seen her again, but he thinks of her from time to time.

It is 6 in the morning, and Alexander-257 is getting ready for work. He is not thinking of Emily-348 at this time. He is thinking of his current project, and wondering if he can claw back the time he lost yesterday when the laser-probe mis-fired. He is putting on his white shirt, and the green tie that marks him as a beta-grade Tec. As he is looking in the mirror to straighten his tie, he hears a voice.

"You wear your shirt and tie,  
A uniform of conformity,"

He looks around, startled. There is no-one in the room with him. He has one room, with a bed and a wash-unit and a tele-screen.

"But it does not hide the gaping wound  
Where they tore out your heart  
And squeezed it dry to  
Lubricate the wheels of commerce."

He moves towards the tiny air vent, high up on the wall. Perhaps the voice is from another room? They are all connected by the narrow ventilation ducts.

"The great money-machine that  
Drips your blood:  
It runs on your dreams,  
It leaves you old and grey and  
Waiting for the pension  
That will never buy back what  
You gave them for nothing."

The voice is not coming from the air vent. He feels a little scared now, but he tells himself he is being foolish. He thinks about the words, but he cannot understand them. He walks over and checks inside his closet, and even under the bed.

"The Shirt is a Lie,  
The Tie is a Fetter,  
You are a slave in bondage,  
Servicing the beast  
As it grinds and  
Threshes and separates  
The chaff of your soul from  
The wheat of your body."

The voice gets quieter as it speaks, until the last few words are barely audible. He stands there, not knowing what to do, listening for the voice. Suddenly he realises the time, and he rushes out, trying to reach the last transport-lift. He makes it with a second to spare, and the other passengers glance at him as he stands there panting for breath. The transport moves off and soon Alexander-257 is hard at work and has forgotten all about the voice.

- - -

In an empty storeroom on level 933 neg a blue box appears, as if by magic. The sensors in the room detect a change in air pressure and the lights switch on and the ventilation kicks in. A door in the box opens and a young woman steps out. She has blonde hair and brown eyes. Like Emily-348 she has a wide, warm mouth, but she is not smiling. She wrinkles her nose and says, "It's a bit stuffy in here." Her name is Rose Tyler: she does not have a proper designation, so there is no way of telling what her job is, or how important she is.

A man steps out of the box. He is tall and thin, with short brown hair and large ears. He is called the Doctor. He has a designation of sorts, but no proper name. He seems to be important, somehow, although he is not wearing a tie. It is all very confusing.

"Ah! The smell of broom cupboard, nothing like it."

The Doctor grins at Rose, and she smiles back. He pulls out a sonic screwdriver from his battered leather jacket.

"Shall we explore?"

Rose pushes down on the handle of the door, and it opens.

"Why not?"

The Doctor looks disappointed as he puts his screwdriver away. He follows Rose out into the corridor. As he shuts the door he hears a faint whisper:

"The thoughts in my head!  
They would set you alight"

He opens the door again and looks around the room. There is no-one to be seen.

"Come on Doctor! The TARDIS will be fine."

"Did you hear something?"

"What?"

Rose is already 100 metres down the corridor, waiting for the Doctor at a T-junction.

"Nothing. Probably just mice, or something."

"Which way shall we go? Left, or right? They both look pretty boring."

"Boring?!" cries the Doctor as he catches up with Rose, "Either one of these corridors could lead to excitement, treasure, or certain death."

"Oh yeah? Well, let's not go left then, that looks like certain death to me."

"Chicken."

"Fine, have it your way then."

Rose walks off to the left, and the Doctor grins and follows her.


	2. Chapter 2

_Two people are sitting, watching the Doctor and Rose on a small monitor screen._

"_It worked then? They are inside the complex?"_

"_Yes, it would seem that way."_

"_And they know nothing of us? Of the outside?"_

"_No, I think not."_

"_Then all is going to plan."_

"_Yes. So far."_

- - -

"Let's try this one."

The Doctor pushes down on yet another door handle. The door swings open, the lights flicker on, and the Doctor looks inside.

"Anything in there?" asks Rose.

"There's a cupboard."

Rose raises an eyebrow. She is not smiling.

"A cupboard?"

"Yes. A grey metal cupboard." The Doctor grins broadly. "More of a locker, really. Shall we?"

"Why not? It's the first thing we've seen in this whole place."

Rose is starting to doubt if any of these rooms contain excitement or treasure. Even death seems a rapidly diminishing possibility, except perhaps of old age or boredom. She watches as the Doctor enters the rooms a tries the handle of the cupboard.

"It's locked!" The Doctor seems pleased as he pulls out his sonic screwdriver again. In a second the cupboard is unlocked. "Ready?"

"Knock yourself out."

The Doctor pulls open the door and a tin falls out, hitting him on the head. The lid comes off and orange powder spills all over his head, shoulders and chest. He rubs his head, with a sharp intake of breath.

"I didn't mean literally." Says Rose, a small grin playing on her lips. "Are you ok?"

"I'll live." The Doctor looks at the orange powder on his fingers. "I wonder what this stuff is?"

A red light starts flashing on the wall. A soft, artificial-sounding voice is heard through hidden speakers.

"Contamination detected: level 933 neg, section Gamma, room 64. Isolation field activated. Prepare for emergency transmat."

Rose tries to step into the room, but an invisible barrier prevents her.

"Doctor! What's happening?" Her eyes are wide with fear.

"Just stay here, I'll find…" The Doctor does not finish his sentence, as he is too busy being broken down into a stream of particles and beamed out of the room into an entirely different part of the complex.

"Doctor!" Rose looks around wildly. "Where are you?" She starts running up and down the corridor, opening doors, finding nothing but empty rooms.

Suddenly, from further down the corridor, she hears a noise. Lights are coming on in the darkness as the motion detectors kick in. She sees a small vehicle moving towards her. She waits for it, warily, not sure whether to stay or run. There is a man driving the vehicle. He has long, straggly, black hair. He is unshaven and his overalls look crumpled and stained. He is slightly overweight. He could be handsome, if he made an effort, but now he has the look of someone who has had too many late nights and not enough vitamins.

The vehicle stops a few metres away from Rose. The man gets off and walks towards her. He is grinning, wolfishly.

"What have we here, then?" He asks, leering at Rose in a most unprofessional manner. "What a fine looking specimen you are, and no mistake."

"Can you help me? I was here with a friend. He was transmatted somewhere…"

Ignoring her, the man reaches into a pouch on his belt and pulls out a gun, and points it at Rose.

"Would you like to go for a ride, little girl?"


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: I removed the swearing from this chapter, it just didn't feel right somehow!_

Fear rises up in Rose, a cold wave of nausea. Adrenalin pumps into her blood, her heart beats faster, her higher brain functions take a step back and she faces the ancient choice: fight or flight? Rose is young and strong and brave, the Doctor chooses his companions wisely. She knocks the man's arm and the gun goes flying, then she kicks out and hits him right between the legs. He folds up and falls sideways on the floor, clutching himself for comfort. Rose runs over to the gun and picks it up, she points it at the man.

"Don't you move!" she shouts at him. "Stay down!"

"Oh god," he groans. "I think I'm going to puke…" He rolls over onto his knees and retches, but does not vomit.

Rose is frantically trying to work out where the trigger is on the strange alien gun.

"I think you ruptured something." The man is white and trembling.

"Where's the Doctor?!" demands Rose. "Where did you take him?"

"Who?" asks the man. He seems confused as he tries to get to his knees, then falls over again.

"The Doctor! Where is he? Where did he go?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I was sent to fetch you, that's all. Please stop shouting at me!"

The man succeeds in getting to his knees, then staggers to his feet. Rose steps back and thrusts the gun out in front of her.

"Stay back! I'm warning you. I'll shoot!"

The man is bent over, hands on his knees, breathing heavily and looking very ill.

"It's not a gun."

"What?"

"That thing you're holding. It's not a gun. It's a medical device."

Rose looks at the device in her hands quickly, keeping an eye on the man. It is gun-shaped, but has no trigger. There is a small video panel on top of it, some buttons and a dial.

"Oh yeah?" Rose is not convinced. "What's it for then?"

"It checks if you've been contaminated," he answers. "Someone opened a can of THO in here without a chem-suit on."

"THO?"

"Tetra-hydryl-octagonate. It's a compound used in sealing the air ducts. Very hazardous if you breathe it in."

"That orange powder the Doctor spilt?"

"That's it. Shouldn't have been here."

Rose is not sure if he means the powder or her, but she has no time to worry about that now. She lowers the device, but keeps her distance from the man, who has now straightened up.

"The Doctor was transmatted. Where did he go?"

"They must have moved him to the sickbay on level 500 neg. It's too late for him now."

"Too late? What do you mean?"

"I mean he's too far up now, he'll be on the scanners."

"What scanners?"

The man takes a step towards her, and grimaces. "That really hurt you know."

Rose has a twinge of doubt. The adrenalin rush has subsided and she feels confused and a little shaky.

"I'm sorry," she says. "I thought you were pulling a gun on me."

"Well I wasn't, was I?" He holds out a hand. "Can I have it back then? I still need to test you."

"How can I trust you? Especially after…"

"After you kicked me in the crown jewels?" He grins at her, unexpectedly. "I guess you can't. But if you are contaminated then you've only got about 20 minutes before your lungs start to dissolve. So, what's it to be?"

Rose hesitates for a moment, then throws the device over to him.

"Go on then, test away."

"Right," he says, pointing it towards her and twisting the dial. "Let's see if you're going to live."

- - -

The Doctor appears on an operating table. He is naked, and the orange powder has gone. A wave of light passes over him. Nearby a computer terminal beeps and some symbols flash on the vid-screen. The soft voice speaks again:

"Tetra-hydryl-octagonate compound removed in transit. Damage to lung tissue detected. Regeneration treatment commencing. You may experience some discomfort."

Metal bands materialise around the Doctor's wrists, waist and ankles, holding him still. A beam of energy strikes down at him from a node on the ceiling. The Doctor screams.

"No! Don't! I can repair myself, I don't need it. You're hurting me!"

"Subject not responding. Increasing beam intensity."

"No, stop it! You'll trigger a…"

The Doctor's back arches and his head snaps back. His mouth opens and a golden yellow light pours out, quickly spreading to cover his entire body, obscuring him from view. Sparks of energy crackle out from him and coruscate over the terminal and the walls of the room. There is a loud bang from the terminal and the beam cuts out. The golden yellow aura subsides, revealing the Doctor's body. He doesn't seem the same any more.

"This is not good," he says, in an entirely different voice. "Oh, new accent!"

The metal bands have disappeared, and the Doctor sits up. He puts a hand up to his face, and then runs it through his hair. "New hair too." He touches his hair again. "Big hair! That's different. Haven't had big hair for a while."

The Doctor gets up and walks over to the dead terminal. He looks at his reflection in the black vid-screen, screwing up his eyes as if he can't quite see properly.

"Blimey," he says. "I'm pretty certain that wasn't supposed to happen."


	4. Chapter 4

Alexander-257 returns home to his room on level 489 neg. He takes off his tie and throws it into the laundry chute. The tie is taken away on conveyor belts and service lifts until it is far below him, being cleaned and pressed by automated machines. An old Eng shuffles by the machine that contains Alexander-257's tie. He taps a dial and the needle doesn't move. He shuffles on to the next machine. In the morning Alexander-257 will go to the laundry return cupboard and find a clean tie.

Alexander-257 turns on the vid-screen and watches a comedy about an Alpha grade Tec and a Beta grade Tec who are accidentally assigned to the same living quarters. He eats synthetic food and drinks recycled water. He gets undressed, throwing the rest of his clothes into the laundry chute, and lies on the bed with the lights off. He thinks about his job for a while, wondering if re-installing the laser software might improve the calibration of the neutron flow regulator. He thinks about his chances of being promoted to Alpha grade, or maybe even becoming a Sup. He thinks about Emily-348 and her green eyes and warm smile and he finally drifts into sleep.

"It's not the clock that scares me,  
The pendulum swings for everyone,  
The springs wind down."

Alexander-257 is suddenly wide awake, eyes open, staring into the darkness. A cold sweat creeps over him as he listens to the voice.

"The steady creep of years is sad  
Bodies decay  
But the scythe of time is sharp enough."

He lunges towards the light switch, swift and desperate. The tube flickers on and he is sitting up in bed, shaking. He stands and goes to the sink, fills it with water and bends to splash his face. When he straightens up he sees the figure in the mirror, standing behind him, dark and shadowy despite the harshness of the artificial light. He is too scared to turn around, in case he sees the beautiful horror of the creature's face, but he cannot stop the voice, whispering to him in the cold and lonely midnight hour.

"The mirror is my curse,  
The face I see each day,  
Asking what I've done and  
Who I've loved and  
Why I woke at all."

* * *

Down and down goes the lift, slow and clanking. Rose shivers in the chilly air.

"So, my name is Rose. What should I call you?"

The man looks puzzled, but doesn't choose to comment.

"My fore-designation is Idi-375."

"Catchy." Rose shivers again. "Is it far?"

"Not too far. Only 66 levels. But the service lift is slow."

"Why is it so cold?"

"No heating in this shaft. No-one worries about the comfort of Engs."

"What's an Eng?"

Idi-375 looks at Rose, raising his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Are you serious?"

"I'm new to these parts."

"I didn't know anyone could be that new."

"Humour me, will you?"

"Ok. An Eng is someone who looks after things. Fixes them. We usually work in the night, when all the Tecs are safely in bed."

"Tecs?"

"You've got to be kidding me!"

The lift comes to a halt, curtailing further explanation. Idi-375 slides the door open and gestures to Rose to sit on the small transport vehicle.

"All aboard."

Rose slides into the passenger seat and Idi-375 drives the vehicle into a long corridor, dimly lit by infrequent tubes in the ceiling. Some of them flicker, adding to the general air of disuse.

"Where are we going, anyway?" asks Rose.

"We're off to see Bertram-223. If anyone can help you, it's him."

"Why are you being so nice?"

"I'm not. I'm just doing what I'm told."

"Well, thank you anyway, Idi-375."

* * *

The Doctor is examining an electronic panel next to the only door out of the room. He absentmindedly reaches into his jacket pocket for his sonic screwdriver, before remembering that he is naked. He gives up on the panel and looks up at small security camera in the ceiling.

"Hello! I'm the Doctor. More or less. Anyone at home?"

There is no reply, but the door slides open, revealing another room beyond.

"Thank you!"

The Doctor walks through the door and finds himself in a small room, with another door and a cupboard. Gingerly the Doctor opens the cupboard door, watching out for falling tins. Inside the cupboard is a dark brown suit, a white shirt, a tie and pair of trainers. On a shelf at the top is a pair of glasses.

"I like it! Very chic." The Doctor dresses and then opens the other door, the one which leads to adventures.

* * *

The corridor ends at a platform next to a train line that disappears into a dark tunnel. A warm breeze blows gently out of the tunnel and along the platform. Idi-375 climbs off the transport vehicle and walks over to a panel on the wall. He presses some switches and some coloured lights turn on.

"The train will be here soon."

"Train? How big is this place?"

"The complex spreads out a long way this far down."

"How far down are we?"

"We're nearly 1000 levels down, so that's just over 3 kilometres."

"Wow, that's deep."

"Doesn't get much deeper than this."

Rose hears the sound of a train approaching. It starts with a low rumble, then gets louder and louder until the train bursts out of the tunnel and squeals to a halt at the platform's edge. The doors slide open with a pneumatic hiss. Rose looks at Idi-375 then steps into the train.

"Mind the gap," says Rose.

Idi-375 joins Rose on the train and presses some more buttons next to the train doors. The doors slide shut and the train slowly begins to pull away, getting faster and faster as it plunges into the warm darkness of the tunnel.

* * *

The Doctor finds himself in a room filled with large cages. Each cage has a bed in it, and a small cubicle containing a toilet. The cages are all empty except for one at the far end. The Doctor can see someone sitting cross-legged on the bed, eyes closed, hands resting on his knees.

"Ah! This will be the cells then?" The Doctor looks around for a guard, but there is no-one else here. "I'll just lock myself up, shall I?"

The man sitting on the bed opens his eyes when he hears the Doctor speak.

"Hello Doctor. How nice to see you again."

The Doctor walks over to the cage and, putting on his new glasses, takes a look at the man inside. He is dressed in simple white overalls. Long dark hair flows over his shoulders and halfway down his back. He is thin, but looks healthy and clean.

"I know you! I've seen you before." He stares closely at the man in the cage. "A long time ago, I think. Now, where was it?"

The man smiles. "It was on the Orient Express, 1926."

"Yes, Yes! You're Harold Crowley! This is brilliant!" The Doctor frowns. "This is very worrying. You shouldn't be here. Oh no, no! This is very bad."

"It's not as bad as all that, Doctor. You'll see."

Crowley stands up and reaches into a pocket in his overalls. He pulls out small white flower and offers it to the Doctor through the bars of his cage. The Doctor reaches out his hand and takes the flower. His eyes go wide and he staggers backwards, staring at the little daisy, which is now glowing with life like a perfectly cut jewel.

"Yes! I remember! Rocks, purple and gold. The snow, shining white in the sunlight. But how…?" The Doctor looks up at Crowley, his mind reeling. He is here in this prison, and he is back on Gallifrey, 900 years ago, talking to an old man who sits under a tree. Crowley and the old man and the daisy and the rocks and the snow and the Doctor himself: they are all the same, all one.

Crowley smiles and the Doctor collapses to the floor, his hand falls open and the daisy rolls out.

"You'll see," says Crowley again. He sits down on the bed, crosses his legs and closes his eyes and starts to meditate once more.


End file.
